Getting Fit Over 40

Getting fit over 40 doesn’t have to be a death sentence!

Last year I turned 40 and suddenly things started to hurt a little more than they used to. Wa, WAAA! So what’s the trick and is it going to happen to you?

First of all probably. Second of all, if you are starting to get fit and get in shape after 40 you may be better off than some of us. Personally, I have be getting fit since high school and my joints are what hurts the most when I train today. When you are starting to get fit after 40, the biggest pain you should encounter is post exercise muscle soreness (PEMS) and that is easier to battle with a proper diet.

Today I was at the local watering hole gym and I saw this guy with silver hair throwing iron around like he was Arnold. So I asked, what’s your secret? He said lifting weights and being healthy is in his blood. It makes him feel good and he’s not gonna let the joint pain stop him from getting fit.

Getting Fit Over 40

I totally agree, however he did go on to tell me about the same joint issues that I am experiencing. We traded our favorite joint supplements and went on our way.

The conclusion is, that as we get older the body will adapt to what we are doing. As Getting Fit goes, if we don’t do anything at all, the body will adapt to that too and your time here on planet earth will be cut short.

So, whats the best way to learn how to get fit over 40? My advice is to set a goal and start slow. Getting Fit is awesome and living fit is awesome-errrr! When you start out you will be sore, and that’s what happens to all these new years resolutioners. They start fast, get hurt…then stop….then start again at next years resolution time.

Whats the difference between getting fit over 40 and getting fit at 18?

The main difference is recovery. At 18 you can do things wrong, have poor technique, and feel Awesome the next day. Have you ever been at the gym and seen some high school athletes working out and following a workout sheet? That happened to me once when I started training some clients. I was totally cringing when they were training because they were following their workout paper, chatting about where they were going to hang out next, and not paying attention to what they were doing.

Was it their fault? Not really, there wasn’t a coach to be seen and obviously there were a lot of kids to watch. And as I was paying attention to what they were doing, I noticed their poor technique.

It made me realize how important my job is as a Fitness Coach. You see, at 18 all the poor technique won’t hurt you so much because your recovery time is so quick. It’s kind of like when you drink a few beers at 40 and have a hang over for a week. Your body just takes a bit longer to get over what you did to it.

At forty if we do that we will hurt for a week and barley squat on the toilet without a giant belly scream. That is very typical after “leg day.”

All that said, when getting fit over 40 make sure you use proper form. Proper form is the difference between muscle soreness and injury. And if you are new to the game of getting fit, follow my blog and we will help your technique improve everyday!